COLUMN: In schools, everyone not ‘OK’
In 1969, Dr. Thomas Harris published a book titled, “I’m OK — You’re OK.”
Quite simply in 2023, not everyone is OK. Many of our students, staff and other adults are not OK.
Last week Dr. Nicholas Covino, president of William James College, presented on the mental health challenges that have resulted from or been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. And the message resonated. We had 40 participants — parents, teachers, leaders and counselors — who joined and shared stories of their learners who continue to struggle.
Dr. Covino shared a statistic from the CDC that over 25% of adults report most days they feel so stressed they cannot function. That percentage skyrockets to 46% of adults under the age of 35. These are our parents and teachers.
In April of 2022, the CDC reported 44% ...